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Denis Villeneuve's James Bond auditions have officially started

Still rooting for my boy Aaron Taylor Johnson

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At first I didn't think much of that actor until I started to see him in more movies outside of Kick-Ass (Which I found just OK)

He's actually a great actor that is very underrated. Reminds me of Jon Hamm, I would be fine with him as James Bond, he would kill it
 
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To be fair, there is an entire Young Bond book series. I own it. It's written by the wonderful (sarcasm intended) Charlie Higson, who also penned OHisMSS, which this excerpt posted above is from:



Which is actually not a new book, came out for Charles' 'Coronation'. I pre-ordered it since I read all the Bond novels, and the filth and rot in the book starts farrrr earlier than the excerpt above shows, that is just where it peaks out.

The small novel filets Bond, from start to finish. It's gross. Easily the worst Bond anything I had ever read. I was no fan of his Young Bond series, but this was clearly about him pushing (largely) American political gripes into his first shot at real Bond, and he chose to use his book to make a point that was extremely tired, lazy, and on the nose. Also, frankly, not fun at all for about half of the book. There are moments it begins to stretch its legs, but it's small page count keeps it from ever reaching a satisfactory climax, and you know how bad it sucks to build up and not reach the climax, amirite?
I love Bond and watch the films regularly, I have been thinking about trying to get into the books, or even that Bond Jr. animated show, but I don't want to get Bond ruined for me.
 
I want the guy who is dedicated enough to cut his face to get the scar :P

Shoulda been this guy back in the day....

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they need to hunt for this look

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still my personal favorite

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I love Bond and watch the films regularly, I have been thinking about trying to get into the books, or even that Bond Jr. animated show, but I don't want to get Bond ruined for me.

Most of the books are totally fine. Most.

Fleming books are, IMO, extremely underrated literature that have some "uncomfortable" dialogue and content which keeps people from recommending them today. IMO, they are epic though. Casino Royale is a more brutal read than the movie does it justice, for example. The real issue now is that several books have recently been "modernized" and edited, which I think is egregious and a spit in the face of Fleming, but I digress.

Even Higson's Young Bond series is among my least favorite, but for me that's more due to the fantastical nature of them being pushed to an extreme that feels un-Bond like and also that Higson is a completely subpar writer who struggles with story flow.

Even plenty of the newer titles are fine, quality varies but not as politicized (in the form of modern political mudslinging) as On His Majesties Secret Service (the one that has the excerpt from above). That small novel could have been really cool too, releasing in real time and taking place during the real life timeline, but instead it is filled with hyper-modernization, Bond character neutering, and thinly veiled (to put it lightly) political ranting of mostly Americanized political issues when the book is based on a spy from the UK who is on mission in Hungary. It's just completely unpalatable unless you just love inserting the quality political diatribe shown in the current viral screen shot floating around. Like I said, that probably the peak of the ridiculous in it's sub 200 pages, but it has many, many cringey moments leading up to that too.
 
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I honestly wonder if there any men in existence who can truly be Bond anymore. Even though we've had a variety of Bond types they've all had a common x-factor that can't quite be put into words and I can't think of a single man, let alone actor who carries that. The pool is further narrowed by a need for a seemingly effortless masculinity, whereas most actors look like they're trying too hard, Bond can't look like he's trying, he simply must be, without question.

We'll have a Bond in terms of the brand, but I find it very hard to believe we'll ever get a real Bond again.

I also think casting is terrible these days, even among seasoned directors, producers and casting directors.

I've yet to see a single suggestion which comes close, if they do miraculously nail it I think it'll be a relative unknown.

Ultimately there might just be too much plastic in everyone's balls at this point. Not to mention too many faces that have seen iPhones.
 
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They should have a strong idea of what they want their new Bond to be. Or are they starting with the actor to dictate the direction they go?

If they go into this with the forethought that the Star Wars sequel trilogy had (i.e. none), it'll be a mess.
 
They should have a strong idea of what they want their new Bond to be. Or are they starting with the actor to dictate the direction they go?

If they go into this with the forethought that the Star Wars sequel trilogy had (i.e. none), it'll be a mess.
Watching a lot of audition tapes and hearing actors talk about them, it seems like the casting directors don't really guide actors, they just see what you bring and then pick the one they like best and fits their other criteria. Seems odd to me, as you'd think the script would have inflection, emotion, and mannerisms in it for all the characters and dialogue, as surely the writer imagined how the words would be delivered when they wrote it, right?

But apparently not so, at least in a significant number of cases, where the character only really gets fleshed out once the actor and director start working it.
 
They should have a strong idea of what they want their new Bond to be. Or are they starting with the actor to dictate the direction they go?
The way they did it with Craig is that they wanted to change things and tell a more personal and emotional stories, show a different side of Bond we haven't seen before and which can only be found in the books. I hope they'll go back and explore more of what they did in Licence to Kill with Timothy Dalton - one of the best Bond movies and gigantic improvement over campy The Living Daylights.

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I think... Aaron Taylor-Johnson can actually work as Bond and he's young enough to star at least in 3 movies. Literally nobody believed in Craig back when they announced him as the next Bond and he turned out to be one of the best ones - same thing happened with Michael Keaton as Batman. I think we'll know who they chose at the end of this year or early 2027.
 
The way they did it with Craig is that they wanted to change things and tell a more personal and emotional stories, show a different side of Bond we haven't seen before and which can only be found in the books. I hope they'll go back and explore more of what they did in Licence to Kill with Timothy Dalton - one of the best Bond movies and gigantic improvement over campy The Living Daylights.

RICU7AR7HBAEHLYAKMWURWRV64.jpg


I think... Aaron Taylor-Johnson can actually work as Bond and he's young enough to star at least in 3 movies. Literally nobody believed in Craig back when they announced him as the next Bond and he turned out to be one of the best ones - same thing happened with Michael Keaton as Batman. I think we'll know who they chose at the end of this year or early 2027.
Well said. I wonder what character angles are left to explore, but it's not my job to know, and would hope the people whose it is do know and are going in with that mindset.
 
I'd rather have them bring Brosnan back.
Something along the lines of Logan, but not as dark and depressing. Keep some of the classic Bond humour in there.
None of that dull as fuck Craig bollocks We've had since 2006.
 
Connery was a navy man himself:

In 1946, at the age of 16, Connery joined the Royal Navy, during which time he acquired two tattoos. Connery's official website says "unlike many tattoos, his were not frivolous – his tattoos reflect two of his lifelong commitments: his family and Scotland. ... One tattoo is a tribute to his parents and reads 'Mum and Dad', and the other is self-explanatory, 'Scotland Forever'".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-22"><span>[</span>22<span>]</span></a> He trained in Portsmouth at the naval gunnery school and in an anti-aircraft crew. He was later assigned as an Able Seaman on HMS Formidable.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-23"><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a> Connery was discharged from the navy at the age of 19 on medical grounds because of a duodenal ulcer, a condition that affected most of the males in previous generations of his family.

and a bit of a brawler:

While in Edinburgh, Connery was targeted by the Valdor gang, one of the most violent in the city. He was first approached by them in a billiard hall where he prevented them from stealing his jacket and was later followed by six gang members to a 15-foot-high (4.6 m) balcony at the Palais de Danse.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-FOOTNOTESellers199921-36"><span>[</span>36<span>]</span></a> There, Connery grabbed one by the throat and another by the biceps, cracking their heads together. From then on, the gang treated him with respect and he had a "hard man" reputation.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-FOOTNOTEYule199232–33-37"><span>[</span>37<span>]</span></a>

so despite his youth he had enough lived experience to be convincing on screen.

Roger Moore served:
At just 18 years old, and with the Second World War newly over, Moore was conscripted for Britain's mandatory national service. In September 1946, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Army Service Corps and eventually became part of the military's Combined Services Entertainment division. Rising to the rank of captain, he was stationed in West Germany, where he oversaw a depot that helped coordinate entertainers performing for British troops moving through Hamburg.

David Niven served:
But before that, beginning in 1928, he attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, where he developed the polished "officer and gentleman" image that would later become one of his trademarks. Hoping to join either the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders or the Black Watch, he jokingly listed his third preference as "anything but the Highland Light Infantry," objecting to their tartan trousers instead of kilts. Ironically, upon graduating, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry on January 30, 1930.

George Lazenby served in the Australian Army, apparently rose to Sergeant in the Special Forces and was a martial arts instructor.

So these more youthful men had at least a bit of Bonds actual background which could inform their performance. If they hire a vet in his late 20's then I think it could be ok. Otherwise I think it s a GRAVE mistake as that youth will work against him.
 
Connery was a navy man himself:

In 1946, at the age of 16, Connery joined the Royal Navy, during which time he acquired two tattoos. Connery's official website says "unlike many tattoos, his were not frivolous – his tattoos reflect two of his lifelong commitments: his family and Scotland. ... One tattoo is a tribute to his parents and reads 'Mum and Dad', and the other is self-explanatory, 'Scotland Forever'".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-22"><span>[</span>22<span>]</span></a> He trained in Portsmouth at the naval gunnery school and in an anti-aircraft crew. He was later assigned as an Able Seaman on HMS Formidable.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-23"><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a> Connery was discharged from the navy at the age of 19 on medical grounds because of a duodenal ulcer, a condition that affected most of the males in previous generations of his family.

and a bit of a brawler:

While in Edinburgh, Connery was targeted by the Valdor gang, one of the most violent in the city. He was first approached by them in a billiard hall where he prevented them from stealing his jacket and was later followed by six gang members to a 15-foot-high (4.6 m) balcony at the Palais de Danse.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-FOOTNOTESellers199921-36"><span>[</span>36<span>]</span></a> There, Connery grabbed one by the throat and another by the biceps, cracking their heads together. From then on, the gang treated him with respect and he had a "hard man" reputation.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery#cite_note-FOOTNOTEYule199232–33-37"><span>[</span>37<span>]</span></a>

so despite his youth he had enough lived experience to be convincing on screen.

Roger Moore served:
At just 18 years old, and with the Second World War newly over, Moore was conscripted for Britain's mandatory national service. In September 1946, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Army Service Corps and eventually became part of the military's Combined Services Entertainment division. Rising to the rank of captain, he was stationed in West Germany, where he oversaw a depot that helped coordinate entertainers performing for British troops moving through Hamburg.

David Niven served:
But before that, beginning in 1928, he attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, where he developed the polished "officer and gentleman" image that would later become one of his trademarks. Hoping to join either the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders or the Black Watch, he jokingly listed his third preference as "anything but the Highland Light Infantry," objecting to their tartan trousers instead of kilts. Ironically, upon graduating, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry on January 30, 1930.

George Lazenby served in the Australian Army, apparently rose to Sergeant in the Special Forces and was a martial arts instructor.

So these more youthful men had at least a bit of Bonds actual background which could inform their performance. If they hire a vet in his late 20's then I think it could be ok. Otherwise I think it s a GRAVE mistake as that youth will work against him.
Yeah, but Connery and Moore both had inspired performances early and lackluster performances late that almost tanked the franchise. And both Craig and Brosnan started to feel old in their last films. It's a tricky thing. You want a 30 year old, but you don't wanna get stuck with them for too long. And I think this time, they will make sure they find an early 30s guy.
 
The guy who was in Gladiator 2 could fit, he is Irish and 30. Paul Mascal. He is also banging Gracie Adams the son of a bitch.

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Idunno, just going purely on appearance he looks a bit too rascally lol. Oi I'm James Bond.

Similar reason to why Jason Statham even though I really like him wouldn't work as Bond at all
 
Not saying they should do that to the actual Bond, but if you do want to watch a film kind of sort of like that btw, I remember enjoying Tokyo Drifter when I watched it a while ago
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